The present invention relates to fishing devices, and more specifically to a mechanical fishing device which automatically sets a hook in the mouth of a fish upon the fish striking bait held on a fishing line connected to the hook extending from the device.
Many prior art hook setting devices and fishing mechanisms have been developed that are capable of setting a hook which operably is attached to the device in the mouth of a fish that strikes the hook. These devices and mechanisms set the hook in the mouth of a fish in various ways, as illustrated in prior art U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,984,039; 3,686,785; 4,193,220; 4,354,324; 4,993,181; and 5,249,387, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
However, in each of these prior art devices, the devices are often difficult to set up and operate due to the complicated trigger mechanisms utilized in the devices, or due to the large size of the devices, in general. Further, based on the different mechanical actions employed by the various devices to set the hook in the mouth of the fish, many of these prior art devices are unstable in their design, as the force generated by the action of the device is more than sufficient to tip over the device, thereby possibly allowing the fish to shake the hook. Also, in many of these prior art devices the force generated by the mechanical action used cannot be adjusted due to the configuration of the device, such that the device cannot be changed in order to remedy the above problems.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop a hook setting mechanism for a fishing device that utilizes only the amount of force necessary to effectively set the hook in the mouth of the fish. The mechanism should be very simple in construction, making the mechanism easy to set up, adjust and use, so that it can be positioned on a base designed not to tip over based upon the amount of force utilized by the mechanism in setting the hook.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a hook setting mechanism for a fishing device which can be manufactured from a small number of easy to assemble and durable parts.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hook setting mechanism that is easy to position in an operative configuration due to the small number of parts of the mechanism.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hook setting mechanism that can be adjusted to effectively set the hook in the mouth of a fish without utilizing more force than is necessary to effectively set the hook.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a hook setting mechanism that is positioned on a fishing device having a base which is configured to engage the mechanism in a non-operative position to prevent the mechanism from interfering with the landing of a fish hooked using the mechanism.
The present invention is a fish hook setting mechanism that is positionable on a fishing device to reliably and easily set a hook in the mouth of a fish. The device includes a base which forms a stable support for the mechanism, allowing the mechanism to be placed on any relatively flat surface, such as a pier or ice formed on a frozen lake. The base includes a fishing rod holder at one end and supports the hook setting mechanism opposite the rod holder. To further increase the stability of the base, the base may also include a pivotable cross member secured to the base between the rod holder and the mechanism.
The hook setting mechanism includes an arm pivotally secured to the base such that the arm can pivot between an upright, operative position and a retracted or non-operative position. The arm includes an opening in which is disposed an elongate trigger that extends through the arm in a direction generally perpendicular to the arm. The trigger can have its operative length adjusted in order to supply the particular force necessary to hook the fish based on the properties of the fishing rod and fishing line being used with the device. The trigger includes a guide at one end and a tab spaced from the guide that are used to secure and align a fishing rod and fishing line on the trigger when the mechanism is in use.
In use, a handle on the fishing rod is inserted into the rod holder, and the rod is flexed and engaged with the tab on the trigger opposite the handle. In order to engage the rod with the tab, the arm of the hook setting mechanism is moved to the upright position such that the trigger is positioned generally horizontal with respect to the surface on which the device is resting. The fishing line extending from the rod is positioned over the guide and extends downwardly from the guide into the water in which the fish to be caught is located. When the fish strikes the line, the fish exerts a downward force on the line and the trigger, consequently disengaging the tab from the fishing rod. This allows the rod to straighten and extend upwardly due to the flexible nature of the rod, thereby pulling upwardly on and setting the hook in the mouth of the fish. Simultaneously, the arm pivots towards the base to the retracted position in order to move the arm and the trigger out of the area of the fishing line in order to prevent the line from being snagged and/or breaking on the trigger prior to an individual being able to land the fish secured to the hook.